In season 7, episode 22 of “Frasier,” we were introduced to Daphne’s brother, Simon Moon. Played by Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia, the hard-drinking Brit traveled to Seattle for his sister’s wedding, shacking up with Frasier and his father and causing untold chaos in the process. Simon would show up several more times throughout the show’s run, becoming a recurring character right up until the 2004 two-part series finale “Goodnight, Seattle: Part 1.”
Thus far, LaPaglia hasn’t been in the conversation surrounding the reboot show. Now, however, the 64-year-old has inserted himself into the discourse by telling Fox News that he’d be delighted to return. The actor said:
“I would do it in a heartbeat. But I’m pretty sure that I’m not in the architecture of the new [series]. I think the new one will be slightly different. John Mahoney is not there, and I don’t think David Hyde Pierce is in it either. I don’t know what form it’s taking, but I’m perfectly happy with what I did. It was great fun at the time. And sometimes revisiting things could spoil that memory. I hope it does well. I certainly want to know how it all unfolds.”
It should be noted that John Mahoney is indeed, not there, but that’s because the man passed away in 2018. The “Frasier” revival opened with a touching homage to the late Martin actor, after whom the bar in the new series — Mahoney’s — was named. Meanwhile, it seems LaPaglia is keen to return as Simon Moon, while remaining cautious enough to echo David Hyde Pierce’s own reservations about returning when he told Vulture, “I don’t have a strong feeling that there’s anything more that I can think of that I need to say about [Niles].”